This version is an improvement on the previous version, but still not where I want it to be in terms of quality of sewing.
Arty Running with Scissors Tote-inside
The best part is that I think the binding looks great. I am also pretty pleased with the inside. I made an effort to make the stitching really even and consistent. I think I succeeded, but we’ll see what mom thinks.
I have, actually, had this done since March. It was killing me not to talk about it every step of the way. However, my mom reads the blog and I wanted to surprise her. As soon as she saw the fabric, she would know it was for her, so I had to keep quiet.
Arty Running with Scissors Tote-inside
Arty Running with Scissors Tote-inside
I can’t wait to see what she puts in it and whether or not she uses the ironing pad.
I decided to call this donation quilt ‘Flame’ to make things more interesting. I guess we all need a little ‘nice’ interesting right now rather than alarming interesting. Enough of that going around.
I am feeling kind of bad that I am still working on donation tops rather than making masks. I think I will need to make some soon, at least for my son. I wonder how many are being made at the moment?
Flame Donation back – April 2020
I used a pretty large piece of Jay McCarroll fabric for the back. I had to add a strip to it to make it large enough, but it will be fine. I still worry about labels. I think I might use stitch lettering to put my name and the year on the back and note that it is from BAMQG. I sort of want people to know I existed down the line. Of course, who knows if the quilt will exist for very long?
Flame Donation top – April 2020 (annotated)
There is one thing that is interesting that is going on with this top. If I pay careful attention to the placement of colors, the piece looks woven.
I didn’t plan this, but it has design potential. The overall design might work better with more variety in the colors, so a viewer could tell where the colors were weaving. I suspect that too many colors wouldn’t work.
I was reminded when I wrote the 26 Projects post yesterday that I forgot to post the finished Cool Windmill quilt.
Right now it’s kind of all Frolic! all the time so I am happy I didn’t post this earlier so you guys get a break from Frolic!.
This will head off to a friend’s house once Shelter-in-Place is over, though if I have to go out, I might drop it off and do a sort of ding-dong-ditch. I would tell her and possible stand off the porch and ‘yell’ at her when she opens the door. We’ll see how long I want it hanging around. We have another month of Shelter-in-Place.
Cool Windmill back (finished)
The back is ok. I don’t know why I chose so much green, perhaps to get rid of it.
DH was kind enough to hold the quilt up for me so I could photograph it. Click on the photos to enlarge them as they look better.
Mom has requested one of these, but in warm colors. That will be a good way to get rid of some of the patches and it was a fun and easy quilt to make. I look forward to that.
The Warm Windmill is finished. I think I already added it to my spreadsheet, so no additional fabric usage. I am pleased with the way it came out.
I need to figure out if I am going to keep it until I can show it at a guild meeting. I am getting a pileup of quilts around the house, so I am inclined to send it along to its new home. We’ll see.
This is the Mega-Pinnie I made for Julie. I am really pleased with the fabrics I used. They were mostly handy, but I did crawl into the ‘attic’ of the fabric closet to make sure I found the most special fabrics to use for her version.
I gave it to her when we went out on New Year’s Eve. I forgot to photocopy tools to put in the pockets, so I had to explain that there were pockets and that always feels awkward to me.
Julie’s Mega-Pinnie with lobster clip
It occurred to me when I was explaining that it would be a good caddy if you wanted to carry some stuff to another room and work on a project away from your studio.
I’ll have to make her something to which she can clip the Mega-Pinnie.
I might be done with these Mega-Pinnies for awhile. I have an idea for one more, so we’ll have to see.
I forgot to take photos of this pouch before I sent it off, but Friend Julie was kind enough to send me some photos. The photos were much better than I would have taken so I was glad I asked her.
This is another version of the Persimmon Dumpling Pouch by Sara Lawson. You can find this free pattern at the Sew Sweetness website. I made a few of these during my fabric gift foray (November 2019) and found it to be a clever design.
Persimmon Pouch for Julie side 2
I made this one, as well as another, with Soft and Stable*. I think the pattern calls for Soft & Stable, so I cut the pieces out, but decided not to use it in the first pouches I made. I just used fabric with SF101/ ShapeFlex* and that worked fine. After making a few of these, I decided I was ready to tackle one with Soft & Stable*. I used the Soft & Stable as a base and piece it using the Quilt as you Go. This prevented me from having to quilt the pieces later. I also got to use up some scraps. I didn’t do anything crazy, though I can see improv possibilities using QAYG.
Persimmon Pouch for Julie bottom
One thing I like about this pattern is the zipper installation. It is very clever and there are no issues with the ends of the zipper. The ends get tucked into the lining out of sight. There is no need for zipper tabs or cutting zippers or anything.
Persimmon Pouch for Julie lining
Turning the pouch was a little tricky because of the Soft & Stable, but not terrible. Normally, I like to make my interfacing a little smaller than the fabric, to reduce layers. When I make this pouch again with Soft & Stable, I will cut the piece larger than the pattern and then trim after I sew fabric pieces to the Soft & Stable. I had a couple of problems with the ends and I think this method would increase accuracy.
I did not hand sew the inside shut. I just wasn’t up for it. Still, I think the piece looks nice and Julie seems to be happy. The only other thing I would change is to get a zipper than matches.
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Like the pouch I talked about after Christmas and back in November, this pouch is made using the same Persimmon Pouch pattern, still FREE from Sew Sweetness. I made this one and Julie’s at the same time. I used Soft & Stable* for the lining.
I used the Soft & Stable as a foundation piecing base and sewed scraps to the base. The Soft & Stable* makes for a good base and I liked not having to quilt the sides separately.
I also used some of the artist fabric I had in my scrap pile to keep the idea of the set of items going.
Mom’s Persimmon Pouch inside
Mom’s Persimmon Pouch amazing end finishing
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As mentioned, I had to make a swap gift for the Winter Extravaganza Palooza at the guild. In that previous post, I talked about the pattern. Since then I have been contemplating WHY I chose what is, basically, a giant pincushion.
Short answer: I don’t know.
Long answer: it is kind of a strange gift, but it is useful. It reminds me of the cube I made for the YM. It is also different from other things I have seen. The pockets can hold scissors and seam rippers, etc. I photocopied a variety of tools and put them in the pockets to show how the pockets can be used.
Mega Pinnie with needle felt
The baby pincushion (Mini Pinnie) can be removed from the Mega Pinnie and used away from its giant mom. There is also a piece of felt designed to hold needles.
The top has a handle, which can be used to hold the full Mega Pinnie.
As I usually do, I filled the piece with some Beanie Baby pellets as well as stuffing. I didn’t use wool roving on this one; I used poly-fil because I needed so much of it. I hope I put enough of the Beanie Baby pellets in the square to keep it anchored. I know I could have put more in it.
I have worked on this project a little bit over the past several months, but decided I needed it out of my workspace. I finished it on Sunday.
It is big!
I thought of using it as an officer bag, but I really like the fabrics I used. I think I will keep it and use it to carry my hand quilting project around.
Mondo Bag lining and handles
Again, the method of construction foiled my attempts at organizing the fabrics. I still think it looks good and I really like the lining and handle fabrics.
I finished the Bat Tablerunner on Wednesday and was really glad. I wanted to get it to Amy at the meeting. Fortunately she will be there! It isn’t in time for Halloween, but she is happy to use it next year.
Bat tablerunner – back quilting
I didn’t intend to quilt it myself, but I ended up doing it, I thought I would just get the project done and it wouldn’t be another WIP in the world, even if it wasn’t on my list. I feel good that it is finished and Amy can enjoy it.
I might have chosen a different color for the back, but I just used black over the whole back. I did switch colors on the top.
Bat tablerunner – front quilting
Bat tablerunner – front quilting
I am particularly fond of the orange bat. I think it came out pretty well.
Bat tablerunner – machine binding
I tried the Bat binding tool and didn’t find it helpful. I just felt like I didn’t need it to get the binding on. I suppose I didn’t take the time to learn to use it. I am sure there is a video around that I should view. It would probably help me understand better whether it would be useful. I did use Sarah Goer’s method to create a machine binding. It looks pretty good and I am proud of it.
I finished the Jane Market tote I am making for my friend, Silvia. I am so pleased with the way it came out. It is hard to let it go! It gives me some ideas about the officer bags, though.
A few weeks ago, I cut out some pouches. I used the Persimmon Dumpling Pouch pattern, a free pattern, from Sew Sweetness for two of them. The pattern has three sizes, small, medium and large, included. This is the small version.
Persimmon Pouch: open
I LOVE this pattern. It went together really quickly after I sat down and just worked on it. It has about 5 seams and the pouch is together. My first try took me awhile, but after finishing it, I thought of a couple of ways I could make this project go faster.
It is so interesting how this pouch opens almost all the way flat. I suppose that could be a problem if the owner had a lot of small items inside.
I have seen this made with two zippers that come together in the middle. Doing that is a skill I have not yet mastered – or even tried. I doubt it is difficult. I’ll put it on the list.
The pattern uses strips to make the exterior. It would be a great pattern to use with some improv piecing, but I just used one piece of fabric for this one and the one I have not yet completely sewed. There is a lot of scope for imaginative fabric use in this pouch pattern (and most, I suppose).
I made this one for the raffle baskets as a test to see if I would want to keep making these as gifts. I think it will be a great pouch to hold all the little gifts. Of course, I have other patterns I can and want to try as well.
Persimmon Pouch: zipper ends
It also has a great way of finishing the ends of the zippers. There is no cutting off the zipper ends or making new stops. The ends are tucked into the bottom seam and hidden between the lining and exterior.
I was thinking I would like to add a leash and a lobster clip to this pouch, but since there are side seams, I am not sure if it is possible. I have another one cut out, so I will think about it some more as I make the next one.
Stay tuned for more! If you try this pattern, let me know what you think.
The Jelly Roll Rug is finally finished. I finished the sewing a few weeks ago, but Gretchen said I needed to steam it.
I finally did the last step on the Jelly Roll Rug over the weekend, which was to steam the living daylights out of it.
It is now pretty flat so all I have to do is send it off. I was going to have my YM take it to Portland to its new home, but he has a super cheap flight that doesn’t allow baggage.
This was a good experience. I think I will make another one, but square or rectangular.
After having to redo the sleeve (too long), I spent some time away from the half hexie project stitching away on the binding and sleeve of FOTY 2017. The piece is finished!
Others were able to see the skyscraper/tall buildings that I was intending when I created this layout. I am pleased that it is finished.
FOTY 2017 back Finished
For once I also photographed the back. I know I have been slack on that lately.
I finished the tablerunner I talked about the other day. I did some simple quilting and bound it. I was actually able to finish the hand part of the binding in one sitting. I am not sure I have done that before. The piece is 13×37 and will reside on our coffee table.
